“Why Every Christian Should Tithe”

Text: Malachi 3:10

Pastor Durham taught us today from a very familiar verse of scripture, Malachi 3:10. The title of the sermon was “Why Every Christian Should Tithe.” He gave us three very good reasons why we all should bring our first fruits to God.

Tithing is part of God’s holy writ. His word teaches us to give. So, if for no other reason, we should give because God said so! 2 Timothy 3:16 reads that all scripture is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. If it’s in the Bible, God inspired somebody to write it. Believers must obey God’s word for the church to operate correctly. Supporting ministry is spelled out in the Bible. Abraham and Jacob were tithers. The great teachers Moses and Paul taught the people of their day to tithe.

Secondly, believers should tithe because of what it does for the church. To paraphrase the text, the tithe is given so that the church will have adequate resources. God asked for the tithe to support the temple workers. In the days of the temple worship, the tribe of Levi was responsible for taking care of the temple. They weren’t able to have any source of income. They had no land or resources. The tithe was used to take care of them financially. In 1 Corinthians 9:13, Paul said that pastors should be able to live off of the salary paid to them by the church. Don’t muzzle the ox. If the ox is hungry, the church is hungry. In other words, take care of your pastor financially! The tithe is also used to support the less fortunate. If a member of your congregation is in need, the church should be able to help them out, and this money is to come from the tithes received there.

The last reason given for tithing is because of what it does for you as an individual. Life goes full circle. Any person who has lived long enough will tell you that what goes around, comes around. Giving should be second nature to a Christian. You reap what you sow, and to be blessed, you have to be a blessing. Abraham definitely knew what it meant to be blessed. It also means being obedient. When he took Isaac before God as a sacrifice, he was being obedient. Because of his obedience, God richly blessed him.

It goes without saying that God gives to us every day. He gave Jesus for the sins of the world. He also gave us salvation. These two reasons alone are enough for us to give everything we own to help further the cause of Christ, not just a tenth of our earnings. We should be eager, cheerful givers.

Christians aren’t reservoirs, but channels. Our gifts, both financial and spiritual, should be freely given, without coercion and not in fear. It doesn’t do us any good to keep those gifts to ourselves. They should flow from us like living water, being used to bless our churches, and our surroundings. You’ll even get a blessing out of it, so why not give?

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